Reider

And then he will respond by asking why Torii Hunter came back home if what they are saying is true.

I understand Souhan wanting to address fans' concerns about Park after the Nishioka experiment, but I'm not factoring the Nishioka situation into this at all. Park is his own person and has his own potential. The way I"m seeing it, is if Park turns out to be a +.800OPS MLB hitter and Arcia has a bounce back season, along with a full season of Sano, Dozier, etc.. this could turn out to be one very exciting year.

Sano can move pretty good when he wants to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkRjCDYp-BA Buxton obviously has great speed and great range, but I don't think he's the only person who can play outfield with Sano. Guys like Santana and Mastroianni (not saying he belongs in the Majors) can cover some ground too. Buxton just happens to be the best player defensively and the guy we all want to see play. Although I've never seen Sano play outfield, I'm not sure speed is actually going to be his biggest problem in the short term. I think there's going to be a learning curve with getting good reads / jumps on the ball and utilizing fundamentals properly (e.g. foot movement, taking proper routes to the ball etc..). If Sano can get a good jump on the ball and kick it into high gear, I think he'll be okay. But to get to that point is going to be one of the biggest challenges that he will face, at least early on.

Sano is learning outfielding 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIaV6iyzIdA

Less than if he was hitting .315. Is that supposed to be a rhetorical question? Buxton really hasn't established his bat at the MLB level yet, so we don't know how many HR's he's capable of hitting at the MLB level. However, looking at his stats, he hasn't hit too many HR's in the minor's. He appears to be the type of player that's going to get on base and use his speed to his advantage instead of a guy who's going to hit a lot of home runs, which is okay with me. Also, I agree that he may hit a few more HR's as he gets older and fills out more. I'm just seeing the 15 HR prediction as being a lot more optimistic in 2016 than Escobar hitting 15 HR's in 2016 based on the facts that we currently have.

Yes, I definitely recall the Twins letting David Ortiz slip away and I'm very much aware of the career he's had. It bothers me when players like David Ortiz, Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, Carlos Gomez etc.. are excelling elsewhere instead of with the Twins. I agree with your point. I want to see Arcia have another opportunity to earn a job in the line up this year and I also want to see him earn one in a big way. Even though he only hit .199 in AAA last year, his MLB stats as a whole are decent. I'm not writing him off. I just think it's time for him to go out there and get the job done. He's had a few years to prove himself now.

When I think of the next "David Ortiz" I think of Miguel Sano, not Oswaldo Arcia.

Honestly, from the little I saw of Sano at 3rd base, I thought he looked just fine and he has a very strong arm. I would have been just fine with Sano playing 3rd base this year. In fact, I'm not against it at all. The issue isn't myself or other people on here, it's that the Twins decided to not only keep Plouffe, but keep him at 3rd base. That's out of our control. I'm just trying to stay positive. Here's the way I look at it. Sano's bat will be in the line up. If moving him to RF is a disaster, they will have to make some adjustments. If he ends up doing OK out there, that's going to open up a lot of flexibility for the Twins moving forward. He can either a) Stay in the outfield Move to 3rd base when Plouffe is gone c) Move to 1st when Mauer is gone or D) DH I wouldn't worry too much, things will work out one way or another.

Sano had no problems earning a job at the MLB level, what are the other guys' excuses? They are getting opportunities, which they need to capitalize on.

I don't know if you remember reading any of my posts this off season, but I was very much in favor of the Twins signing an outfielder. Specifically Denard Span, but I was open to other players as well. When Mr. Kepler can hit at the MLB level, he can play on the Twins. Until then, the Twins are going to have to consider and utilize other options.

You may be right, you may not be. Lets give him a chance before getting mad? We know he can run good for a big guy and we know he has a strong arm. So what that leaves us with is him learning positioning and getting a good read on the balls. That's going to take some time. If it does end up being a disaster, then Molitor is going to have to make some tough decisions.

Sunshine and lollipops. When Mr. Kepler and Mr. Buxton prove that they can hit at the MLB level, then we can discuss where they should play and who they should unseat. No it's not fantasy land to want to improve the defense. I want to see it improved as well. A lot of these prospects have great futures, but the Twins have a season to play. If guys like Arcia, Buxton, Park, and Kepler want to play in the MLB, they're going to have to earn it.

I'm not here to discuss hypothetical situations, I"m here to discuss reality. Mr. Kepler may end up having a great MLB career, but as of right now he has 7 at bats at the MLB level. (.286 OPS). Unfortunately for him, he can't have Trevor Plouffe's job until he out plays him at the MLB level.

Arcia? Arcia hit .199 in AAA last year, where the bulk of his AB's were. He needs to play so well that he gives the Twins no choice, but to keep him in the daily MLB line up. Until then, he doesn't have much of a case.

Which he is not. There's lots of talk about Buxton, Kepler, Arcia, Park etc... I'm sure some or all these guys will be great players in the future, but life isn't a video game. The Twins have a season to play in 2016. If these guys want to play regularly at the MLB level, they're going to have to earn it. At the end of the day the Twins decided that they weren't going to give Plouffe away for nothing and keeping him was in their best interests. Fans need to get over it, seriously. Those guys mentioned above will get their chance in time, some sooner than others.

Giving away a proven starting 3rd baseman for next to nothing just so Sano can play 3rd base isn't necessarily going to produce the best line up either!

This is about getting Sano's bat into the line up. There's no doubt in my mind that the Twins considered their options in the off season regarding Plouffe and decided that they didn't want to give him away. I have no problem with that. For those saying that Sano can't play 3rd base at the MLB level and for those saying that this move is going to ruin the Twins in 2018 and beyond, I say lets not get ahead of ourselves here! Sano is young and a lot can happen over the next couple of years. I believe in Sano's athletic ability and I think the Twins will be just fine wherever he plays. If something happens and they decide to move him back to 3rd base, I think he'll be able to make the transition back to 3rd a lot easier than learning a brand new position (RF). If there's anything to be concerned about, it's moving Sano to a brand new position (RF) in the first place. Even so, it might take some time and a lot of hard work, but in the long run, i'm sure he'll be OK out there. I"m definitely staying positive on Sano's future. I think he has a great future ahead of him. And I"m definitely not worrying about 2018 and beyond!

To be fair to you, I don't think you are over reaching at all with Escobar and the answer is in your post. He hit 12HR's last year in 127 games and he is trending upward in HR's. We are only talking about a difference of 3 HR's, which he could have hit last year if he played more games / had more at bats. It won't surprise me if he's a double digit HR guy again in 2016. Also, it won't surprise me if he hits 15 HR's in 2016. If anything, perhaps Buxton and Park might be riskier guesses for the simple fact that their HR numbers are currently unproven at the MLB level.

I"m not too concerned about Molitor's comments at all. Murphy will have all of spring training to learn and showcase his talent. I won't be concerned unless / until: 1) Murphy isn't getting enough opportunities in the regular season to earn the starting spot 2) Murphy is outplaying Suzuki and his playing time isn't increasing accordingly.

I was hoping that the Twins would sign an outfielder like Span this off season and for good reason. As of right now the Twins only have one bona fide outfielder that can be penciled into the line up right now. And that guy is Rosario and the position is left field. I have him penciled in at left field to start the season. If he has a sophomore slump at the plate, then that is out of our control and that's something that would have to be addressed during the season. Center field will have to be filled by using guys like Buxton and Santana. Hopefully one of these guys can get their bat going this year. Right field will have to be filled using Sano and / or some of the other guys the Twins have. It's a new position for Sano, but I believe in the guy as an athlete and if he takes things seriously, he might do just fine. Of course there will be some mistakes made. That is a guarantee. But he moves pretty good for a big guy and he has a strong arm, so he'll just have to work on his foot work, positioning, the lines he takes to balls, getting used to judging where he needs to be etc.. That will all take a lot of time and practice. Thankfully, one Mr. Torii Hunter is going to play a role in teaching him those skills. To be honest, I see growing pains in the near future in the outfield. If it isn't Sano taking time to get used to the outfield, it may be Buxton/Santana/Rosario's bats. Considering the Twins didn't go out and get any serous outfield help, we're just going to have to brace ourselves and hope for the best. I am staying optimistic. It might take a while, but in the end, it might just work out great. If/when Buxton gets his bat going at the MLB level, Sano develops into a decent (or better than decent) outfielder, and Rosario even improves a little bit at the plate. Those three will be dynamite in the outfield and at the plate.

Rosario is my starting left fielder in 2016. I'm not too worried about him. There might be some bumps in the road at the plate, but then again, he's the kind of guy who could be struggling, then all of a sudden hit a triple. Part of the reason why I don't worry about him as much as other younger players is because he appears to play with a lot of confidence.

I can only think of two Twins players who impressed me defensively last season. Dozier and Rosario. Dozier was fantastic the first half of the season, both offensively and defensively. After the All-Star break, he didn't seem like the same player. But neither did Perkins or Hunter (at times). After the All-Star break, Dozier was still pretty solid defensively, he just seemed to make a couple of cringe worthy errors (based on the games I watched). I don't know if he was mentally fatigued or both mentally and physically exhausted, but I'm not worried about his defense at all. His skills didn't decline. He didn't lose any tools. I agree with many other fans. It's possible that he either needs to change his off season training (which I"m sure is fine, he seems like a hard worker) or he needs more days off throughout the season or both. Of course Dozier doesn't have the best range or strongest arm, that's why he's not playing short stop! But for playing second base, he does have pretty good range and he does have a pretty good arm. Dozier has this special ability to basically suck up any ball that enters his range. And not only does he pretty much stop every ball that enters his zone, but he keeps his body stable throughout the entire process and puts himself in a great position to make a good throw to first base. It wasn't until 2013/2014 where Dozier really started to impress me. In 2013 I noticed defensive improvement. In 2014 I thought he was fantastic. And of course in 2015 I thought he was fantastic as well. Do not bet your money against his defense in 2016. At least not in the first half of the season. Offensively, it's fair to question whether or not he'll hit home runs in 2016, but even so, I wouldn't push the panic button there yet either.

While I agree that these safety measures will protect a lot of people right behind the dugout, I like to sit low between home plate and first base and I do not want to spend that kind of money to have my view obstructed by a net. Hopefully the net is low enough that it isn't too obstructive for the fans sitting low in sections 109 and 110 etc..

You aren't wrong Jimmer. The reality is that the future is unwritten and we are all just putting our best guess forward based on the information we have. Also, I agree with your point about Rosario's speed affecting BABIP on infield hits and it's a very good point for a few reasons. If you look at a guy like Ben Revere who is also a speedster, he hits a tonne of balls into the dirt, so in my opinion, Revere's speed is going to affect his BABIP (on infield singles) more than a guy like Rosario who sprays a lot of balls to the outfield. Case in point, Rosario hits a lot more doubles, triples, and home runs compared to Revere. Also, I can see Sano's BABIP higher than Rosario's simply because of how hard he hits the ball. I don't think you're point of view is wrong at all, we shouldn't be surprised if Rosario's 2016 year end BABIP is lower than it was this year. I won't be surprised if it's near the same either, but you're right, we really shouldn't be surprised at all if it's lower next year considering he's not going to leg out as many infield hits as a guy like Revere will.

Exactly! Your post only cements my reason for concern. It doesn't dispel it. There isn't really any room in the downward direction for him in the case of a sophomore slump. His BA was only .267 and OBP .289. His BABIP being "well above average" (.332) just adds to my concern (with league average being around .300). If anything, Rosario needs to improve upon his numbers next year. For comparisons sake, here are some of Sano's numbers: BA .269 OBP .385 BABIP .396 If Rosario's BAPIP is "well above average," then Sano's is though the roof high. This is just my opinion, but I can see how Sano could have such a high BABIP with how hard he hits the ball. I think these numbers are even more telling: Sano: AB 279 BB 53 IBB 1 SO 119 (Sano has a lot of walks, but strikes out 42.6% of the time) Rosario: AB 453 BB 15 IBB 3 SO 118 (Rosario strikes out 26% of the time, but has too few walks) Sano appears to have more room for regression in the OBP department than Rosario, but both guys need to improve at the plate. Sano needs to strike out a lot less often and Rosario needs to be more patient and take more walks if he can. Either way, I thought both players had solid rookie seasons. They were both exciting to watch in their own way and I look forward to more of it in 2016.